The Hindu : We are under no pressure to part with seat: CPI (M)

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 14, 2004

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

We are under no pressure to part with seat: CPI (M)

By Our Special Correspondent

COIMBATORE, FEB. 13. "There is no pressure on the Communist Party of India (Marxist) from any quarters to part with the Nagercoil seat," the State secretary, N. Varadarajan, told a press conference here today.

"We will contest from Nagercoil and Madurai allotted to us (in the Democratic Progressive Alliance) and we have already commenced spadework." The candidates would be chosen at the State general council meeting in Chennai on February 15 and 16.

T. K. Rengarajan, a member of the Central committee, who was present, said: "We have received no request (on Nagercoil). Nobody has spoken to us. All that we know is that some Congress leaders have taken this up with their high command. Even that we learn only from media reports."

Mr. Varadarajan said his party wanted to contest more seats, including Coimbatore. However, in an alliance it was imperative that every party worked for the victory of the combine as a whole in all constituencies. If the alliance was weakened over one seat, it would result in its weakening in all constituencies.

To a question, he said his party had no reservations about a joint campaign with the Congress despite its opposite views on economic policies. "We will allow the Congress leaders to address from our platform to speak on secularism and we will also do the same." However, in case of a separate campaign, the Congress' economic policies would also be discussed.

Mr. Rengarajan said all parties except the Left supported globalisation at some point of time or the other. But in the current elections, secularism would be the main agenda and other issues, including economic policies, would be subordinated to that. Besides, there was no sense talking about the four and a half years the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam was in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Government. "That was yesterday and let us forget it."

Mr. Varadarajan said now that the DMK, which the CPI (M) considered a secular party, was out of the NDA, it was welcome.

Plea to EC

He said his party had written to the Election Commission (EC) on the "extraordinary situation" prevailing in Tamil Nadu (involving enrolment and formation of booths) which would be detrimental to free and fair polling. He wanted the EC to accord more attention to this State as he apprehended that the ruling party would misuse its power.

Mr. Varadarajan wondered how the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, could boast of "motherly affection" in reinstating dismissed government employees after having subjected them to "untold suppression". A chunk of the State's population (State Government employees' families) suffered at her hands for months together. They would inflict a resounding defeat on her party, he said.

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